Master of Philosophy in Development Studies

1. The regulationscourse madeshall bybe under the supervision of the Graduate Studies Committee are as follows:

• 1. Candidates for admission must apply toof the Graduate Studies Committee. They will be required to produce evidenceDepartment of theirInternational appropriate qualifications for the proposed courseDevelopment.

• 2. Candidates must follow for six terms courses of instruction as laid down for the M.Phil. in Development Studies by the Graduate Studies Committee.

• 3. Core Course in Development Studies  Candidates must pursue a core course in development studies which is taught in the first year of the degree. The core course covers the following aspects: (i) ideas about development: social, political and development theory, and (ii) key themes in development such as agrarian change, urbanisation, social policy, sustainable development, states and governance, and technology and innovation.

  34. Candidates will be admitted to take the examination as defined below in a specific year. In exceptional circumstances candidates may be allowed to take an examination later than the one to which they were admitted. Permission for this must be sought from the Proctors through the candidate’’s college.

• 45. The registration of candidates shall lapse from the Register of M.Phil. Students on the last day of Trinity Term of their second academic year.

• 56. QualifyingFirst Testyear examinations

  • 56.1. Every candidate must pass a qualifying test inconsisting of the following components to be permitted to progress to the second year of the course. The test comprises the following:

    (a) two foundation papers to be taken at the start of the Trinity Term of the first year of study. Details of the foundations papers are set out below in section 6.2;

  • 5.2.(b) Theone qualifyingwritten testpaper in Research Methods, to be taken at the end of the Trinity Term of the first year of study. Questions will be set on qualitative and administeredquantitative methods in the social sciences;

    (c) one research design essay of 3,000-5,000 words. Candidates are required to submit the essay in Trinity Term of the first year of study. Candidates should upload the essay to the University approved online assessment platform by the examinerstime appointedand date specified in the Course Handbook. The essay must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate’s own work.

    (d) two core course essays. Candidates are required to examinesubmit forthese essays in the Mfirst year of the course at the times and date specified in the Course Handbook.Phil. Each essay should cover the topics of two components (one per essay) of the core course in Development Studies. Candidatesas mustdescribed enterin themselvessection for3 the qualifying test onlineabove.

  • 56.32. Candidates maywill select the two foundation papers which they offer from the list set out below except that candidates with a non-economics background are required to include Economics as one of the two papers and candidates are not permitted, except with the permission of the Graduate Studies Committee, to offer a paper in the subject of their bachelor's degree.

    • (ia) History and Politics

        Topics may include the themes of state formation and development; encounters between different civilisations; colonialism, collaboration, and resistance; nationalism, decolonisation; class formation, gender relations, and the formation of political identities; politics and policy. Students will be expected to show knowledge of developments in countries from more than one of the following regions: Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

    • (iib) Economics

    •   The course focuses on the way economists think about development. Topics may include key concepts in economics (e.g. opportunity costs, the role of incentives) and applications to developing countries. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of economics as a discipline that speaks to other social sciences and that can help explain some of the recurring patterns that we see in developing countries.

    • (iiic) Social Anthropology

        Topics may include the perspectives of anthropology upon social change;, modernity, progress and commonwealth; personhood and well-being; social and personal agency; authority and responsibility in the field of productive activity; marriage, kinship, family and gender in theory and practice;  technological innovations; development planning and identity struggles.

  • 56.43. A candidate who fails to pass any of the components of the qualifying test maywill be permitted to retake/resubmit the testfailed assessment item(s) before the beginning of the first week of the next academic year. Candidates shall retake only the failed component of the qualifying test.

  • 56.54. Only candidates who have passed theThe qualifying test maymarks proceedawarded tofor the secondwritten yearpaper ofin Research Methods, the course.

• 6.research Coredesign Courseessay, inand Developmentthe Studies

• Candidates must pursue atwo core course inessays developmentwill studiesalso whichcontribute is taught intoward the firstfinal yearoutcome of the degree. The core course covers the following aspects: (i) ideas about development: social, political and development theory, and (ii) key themes in development such as agrarian change, urbanisation, social policy, sustainable development, states and governance, and technology and innovation.

• 7. Final Examinationyear examinations

  • 7.1. The final examination shall consist of the following:

    • (a) One written paper on Research Methods which is taken at the end of the Trinity Term of the first year of study. Questions will be set on: Epistemology of social science, social science paradigms; ethics and values; quantitative methods; the presentation of statistical information, hypothesis testing; research design; sampling theory; questionnaire design; the critical reading of documents; participant observation; action research; rapid research; evaluation research.

      AEvery candidate whomust fails to pass the paper in Research Methods may, at the discretion of the Development Studies Committee, be permitted to retake the paper before the beginning of the first week of the next academic year. Only candidates who have passed the paper in Research Methods may proceed to the second year of the course.

    • (b) One research design essay of 3,000-5,000 words, assessed bysatisfy the examiners appointed to examine for the M.Phil. in Developmentfollowing Studies. Candidates are required to submit the essay in Trinity Term of the first year of study.Candidates should upload the essay to the MPhil. Development Studies WebLearn site by the time and date specified in the Course Handbook.  The essay must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work. In the event of a candidate’s failing the essay, it must be rewritten, resubmitted and a pass mark awarded before the candidate may proceed to the second year of the course. The research design essay and the written paper in (a) above shall each constitute 50 per cent of the marks available for the examination of the candidate’s knowledge of research methods.components:

    • (c) Two core course essays assessed by the examiners appointed to examine for the M.Phil. in Development Studies. Candidates are required to submit these essays at specified intervals in the first year of the course. The topics to be covered in these essays must fall within the two components (one per essay) included in the core course in development studies: ideas about development: social, political and development theory;  and key themes in development. Candidates must pass both essays. In the event of a candidate's failing either or both essays, either or both must be rewritten, resubmitted and a pass mark awarded before the candidate may proceed to the second year of the course.

    • (d) A thesis of not more than 30,000 words (excluding bibliography but including footnotes and appendices) on a topic approved by the M.Phil.MPhil Teaching Committee, to which the Graduate Studies Committee delegates this function.

       The thesis must be on a topic in the general field of development studies. The topic of the thesis must be chosen in consultation with and with the approval of the candidate's supervisor. If a separate thesis supervisor is required, he or shethey must have agreed to undertake the supervision prior to the approval of the topic as specified above.

    • (e) OneThe writtenthesis paper selected from a range of optional papers. Details of the optional papers available willmust be notified during the first year of the course. Candidates may include subjects offered in other relevant masters degrees in the University, subjectuploaded to permission from the relevant graduate studies committee and from the M.Phil. Teaching Committee. Applications to do this must normally be made by the first Friday of Trinity Term in the student’s first year.

    • (f) One further written paper selected from a range of optional papers, or offered in other relevant masters degrees in the University withapproved theonline provisosassessment specified in section 7.1 (e) above.

  • 7.2. Theses must be delivered to the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxfordplatform not later than the Friday of the first week of the Trinity Full Term in which the examination is to be taken.

  (b) Two options courses. Options courses will be assessed either by a timed written examination or by coursework submission(s) in the second year of study. Details of the options papers available and the submission requirements for each option will be made available during the first year of the course. Candidates may offer an option course in other relevant masters degrees in the University, subject to permission from the relevant Graduate Studies Committee and from the MPhil Teaching Committee. Applications to do this must be made following the requirements and by the date specified in the Course Handbook.

  • Where an option course is assessed by an essay and is selected from the list of option courses of the MPhil in Development Studies, candidates will be required to submit the essay electronically via the University approved online assessment platform by the time and date specified in the Course Handbook. The essay must be anonymous and accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate’s own work.

    All coursework assessments must be submitted using the University approved online submission system. Technical information on the requirements for online submissions is provided in the Course Handbook.

    Where an option course is assessed by an essay and is offered in another relevant masters degree in the University, candidates are required to follow the submission requirements of the degree in question.

    7.32. Failure in one or more components of the final year examination results in failure of the degree. The examinersCandidates may permit candidates to re-take the examinationassessment of the failed componentoptions paper(s) and/or resubmit the thesis in Trinity Term of the following academic year. In the case of a failed dissertation, the dissertation must be re-submitted in Trinity Term of the following year. Viva voce examinations are not used for this course.

  • 7.4. The examiners may award a Distinction for excellence in the whole examination.